Jerry Wiseman Interviews Malia Hosaka

Malia Hosaka is one of the few people you know mean business when they step into the ring, that seems to be the Killer Kowalski way. Hosaka, who hails from Hawaii but is generally billed from Japan has that exotic look and expertise in the ring that makes you believe anything is real and everything is possible.

Making her debut in 1987 Hosaka has been on a tear and in demand ever since. Working for the LPWA, WCW, TNA, briefly in the WWE and ECW and as a regular for Shimmer, Malia is one of the most popular ladies on the wrestling circuit.

Having been trained in the basics by the legendary Kowalski and in the ring by lady legends such as Debbie Combs and Leilani Kai, Hosaka has honed her skills unlike any other. Beauty, brains, brawn and talent, Hosaka is the standard for what lady wrestler’s should aspire to be. It was a pleasure to sit down and talk with Malia Hosaka.

JW: Your dream opponent would be?
MH: I am not sure I have a dream opponent anymore, I have worked with almost everyone in the biz who was my vet with the exception of Moolah, I think I would have liked to have worked with her, as for today’s women, perhaps Sara Del Ray, but I am not sure I could keep up and do her talent justice.

JW: What is your best road story?
MH: I have fond memories of being on the road and working and traveling with the different groups, but as for my best story, not really sure. I enjoyed going to the Middle East with the military and AFE the most and felt it had the most meaning, wrestling for the troops there; they were very grateful to us for coming over and living with them in tents and on bases was an incredible experience.

JW: Who is someone you always like to watch wrestle?
MH: I enjoy watching Nikki Roxx and Daffney, they are entertaining and have learned the craft well, and they do not need commentators to give them credit in the ring.

JW: As a promoter who would be in your money match?
MH: On the women’s side, Micki James, Nikki Roxx, Sara Del Ray or Daffney and on the men’s side Dean Malenko, Chris Benoit (RIP), Eddie Guerrero (RIP)… but I like them for their talent and skill in the ring, not sure they would be money matches because many look for charisma over in ring talent.

JW: If you got the call from New York, would you change your gimmick and to what?
MH: Well, I got called from NY in 1999 and they could not decide what gimmick to give me, I wanted to be the Dudley sister… as for today, well, I am the Modern Day Moolah, I am the last of my generation and the last of the “old school” so I think that would be what I would pitch.

JW: Do you think titles need to mean something again?
MH: ABSOLUTELY! Why have a title if it doesn’t mean anything?

JW: You own a promotion, who are the first five workers you hire?
MH: Women -Daffney, Sara Del Ray, Nikki Roxx, Ariel, Lexie Fyfe, Leva Bates, Josie; men – Jersey Devil, Chris Gray, Los Lobos, Dean Malenko, Mark Sterling, Matt Riviera.

JW: What is the craziest match you have done?
MH: Anything I ever did with Luna Vachon, it was always a surprise to see where those would go.

JW: Do you prefer hardcore, traditional or a mix of the two for your own matches?
MH: Traditional, but hardcore has its place if there is a storyline to build to it.

JW: Besides you, who is the best to ever step into the ring?
MH: Well, I don’t think I am the best, I was just lucky to have the women I did to learn from, but Debbie Combs was an incredibly talented lady and deserved far more than the biz ever gave her.

JW: Who is your favorite opponent?
MH: It depends on the time line in my career, the beginning: Lei Lani Kai or Debbie Combs, the middle: Brandi Alexander, and today: Leva Bates, Ariel, or Nikki Roxx.

JW: If you could change one thing about the business, what would it be?
MH: The fact that models are more valuable than talent, it should be about what you bring to the ring as anyone can be made over to be marketable as a model with the right coaching, but not everyone can wrestle.

JW: Does wrestling need a union?
MH: I don’t think so, while it is entertainment, it is also a sport, and something like a SAG would not necessarily work in this part of the industry, wrestling just needs more people in places of power to act on behalf of the wrestler vs. kissing up to keep their job.

JW: What drew you into the business?
MH: My dad was a fan and dared me to try it; once I found out I could travel the world and got over my shyness for entertaining I feel in love with it.

JW: Do you think heels and faces need to be clearly defined again?
MH: I think apples should be sold as apples and oranges as oranges and the pieces fall where they may, but as people in the public eye and looked up to by impressionable people we need to be responsible in the messages we convey.

JW: In the annals of wrestling, what do you want to be said about you?
MH: That I did my veterans credit, that while I may have never been a “star” or “name” by the values of the average fan I was in my own right a star and a credit to the art of wrestling and the biz that I love so much, that I did my veterans proud and helped my rookies to understand what was taught to me at least a little bit, that I always gave the fans everything I could every time I went to the ring.

JW: What decade, the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s or 00s do you think best defined wrestling?
MH: Probably the 80s, but I would like to say the late 80s and early 90s because that is my decade (laughs).

JW: Do you think internet PPVs would help indie promotions?
MH: No, their talent is not well known enough to get enough bought to cover the cost, but if there was a low cost alternative to help get them coverage then yes, it would help bring familiarity to their talent with the fans.

JW: What is one thing you want fans to know about you?
MH: That I love and adore them for keeping me in a career when no one believed in me but them, and that even today their support is why I have not walked away and retired.

JW: Have you ever had aspirations of trying MMA?
MH: No! I hurt enough from years of abuse in the “fake” stuff.

JW: Do you think the proposed changes that a lot of state athletic commissions will help or hurt the sport?
MH: I am not familiar with the changes you are asking about.

JW: Who I someone you would not want to work again?
MH: That will be answered after I retire, I have enough heat in the biz without calling people out like that, and everyone who wants to learn can improve and anyone can have an off night.

JW: Do you think blading is a necessary evil in the sport?
MH: To a certain point, again, as long as it has meaning and is not being done just for effect.

JW: Is the punishment you take worth the money you make?
MH: No, but I had fun doing it and still love entertaining the fans.

JW: We are all marks; have to be to love the business, how big a mark are you, what is your favorite piece of swag?
MH: I am honestly not a mark for the biz or anyone in it really, I pop for different things and love when I can be entertained by the work and in-ring story and not get caught up in the quality of work being put forth, I respect the art, so if I am a mark for anything it would be the craft and art of the trade.

JW: Is there any match you would refuse to do?
MH: Anything I would have to ask my dad not to watch, if my family can’t see it then I shouldn’t do it.

JW: How big of an impact do all the recent deaths of the boys have on the business?
MH: I think anytime talent is lost it impacts the industry, but unfortunately it has not changed the actions of many or inspired change in the actions around those who are headed down the wrong paths, we all sacrifice in the hope of getting our break and then in the name of keeping our spots, it boils down to “what can you live with?”

JW: Using steroids is still a sore subject among some of the boys, especially now that Ivan Putski came out and admitted using and Bruno Sammartino is against them but used them when they were legal, what is your feeling on them?
MH: I don’t condone them but I also do not condemn anyone who does them, just don’t do them and act high and mighty like you have never used, again it’s personal choices/sacrifices, what are you ok with doing to get or keep a job?

JW: Does there need to be more competition in the business and do you think TNA is the answer or does someone else need to come along and step-up?
MH: Competition is always good, it creates jobs, keeps pay scales up and levels the playing fields between the company and the worker, but if you are going to compete in the big leagues, come with all you got and have the backing to do it right, you can create stars, but you need the product to compete with the established or you look like a “b” scale version trying but not ready for the big screen.

JW: Does it take an addictive personality to be a pro wrestler or what type of mental attitude do you need to make it in the business?
MH: Not really addictive, but dedicated and a bit hard, you can’t wear your heart on your sleeve or take everything personal, it is a business to those calling the shots and no one is expendable.

JW: What kind of pre-match ritual do you have before you go through the curtain?
MH: I have a prayer that I have said since my high school days, we said it before every Varsity softball game and I continue to do it before I wrestle, I also tell my opponent to be safe, have fun and I hope they win.

JW: Do you find yourself giving 100% no matter if there are 25 people in the crowd or 2500?
MH: Without a doubt! The fans paid their hard earned money to see a great show/match and not matter the number of fans in the crowd or the level of experience of the other girl I always give as much as I have for that night.

JW: Do you ever practice cutting a promo in front of a mirror?
MH: When I first started, it was how I worked on facial expressions, practiced getting comfortable with myself and speaking in character, and learned to make it up on the fly.

JW: How do you define yourself as a pro wrestler?
MH: Old? (Laughs) I am of a lost/dated generation, so I am not sure how to define myself, I am 100% professional and give the best I have every time I go to the ring, I used to say I was the female Stone Cold, but now I am more the Moolah…. the Modern-day Moolah (laughs).

JW: What is the weirdest thing you have had happen while in the ring?
MH: A girl peed herself?? But I didn’t notice it until we got back to the locker room and then I had to think where when it could have happened and where I may been (move-wise) when it happened.

JW: Fans either love you or hate you, what has been your worst experience with a fan?
MH: I was working on a bar show and while cat fighting on the outside of the ring a fan suggested sexual things I should do to her while we were fighting.

JW: If you could go back to any era and wrestle for one night, where would you go and who would you step into the ring with?
MH: To the early to mid-80s and with Debbie Combs.

JW: What move do you think is overused and just does not get over now, like the carotid clutch in the 70s?
MH: The hurricanranna/frankensteiner, it has been done every which way, and though it is a beautiful move, it is in nearly every match these days.

JW: Debbie Combs is a legend in the ring, what was it like to wrestle her?
MH: intimidating at first, but as time went on I learned so much from her about the whens and whys of the ring, it was an honor to have her take the time to work with me and bring me along to the next step in my career, but the time she retired it was fun.

JW: What has been the pinnacle of your career?
MH: There have been a few, having the light switch flip to on so that I no longer needed my veterans to lead me, working with WLW and holding Harley Race’s belt, being giving a contract by the WWE (even though they never used me), working for WCW, and being one of the only females to have worked for nearly every major company in the U.S. between the 80s to present.

JW: Who has been your favorite opponent?
MH: Brandi Wine and Brandi Alexander back in the day, but Leva Bates, Ariel or Nikki Roxx today.

JW: Discuss the difference between ladies wrestling now and when you started?
MH: When I started it was about learning the craft and telling a story in the ring, good vs. evil and doing moves at the right times because the fans were waiting to be led up and down in the story, your marketability as a model/calendar girl/centerfold was secondary – now it is first, how marketable are you, can you sell pics and t-shirts and calendars then your wrestling ability comes second…There are many talented women out there who will never be given an opportunity due them not being a size 2 with 36DD’s.

JW: What has been the most coveted title you have held?
MH: Probably the NWA ladies title, but I held the WLW title with more respect and esteem.

JW: Is there something to be said about being trained by Killer Kowalski?
MH: Killer training gave me credibility as for having been trained and trained properly, but I did not attend Killer’s school and receive the same training as Chyna and Nikki, I was trained at Misty Blue’s school by Killer, so the regimen was not as tough as it was at his school. I learned ALOT in a short period of time, but not really how to put it together, Lei Lani, Judy Martin and Debbie taught me that.

JW: You are from Hawaii but billed from Japan, how does that happen?
MH: Because when I started Japanese wrestlers were the best and a novelty, but I was here and of Japanese decent and cheaper than flying them in so I was often billed from Japan as a novelty on the shows .

JW: The LPWA, WCW, ECW, WWF, TNA, where did you really feel at home?
MH: None of them, WLW was the only company I worked for that really felt like it fit; LPWA was early in my career, so I was learning the biz and the craft around women who were so sophisticated seeming to me that I was very intimidated, I found friendship in Bambi, Peggy and the Glamour Girls, but other than that I really felt as if I didn’t fit in; WCW was the best of the bigger companies, and I think I had a good working relationship with the talent dept.; WWF barely even knew I existed, ECW only used me to replace Madusa against Sheri, TNA only gave me one opportunity as well so not much time or much of a chance to feel as if any of them were home.

JW: Being ranked in the PWI Top 500, how big an honor was that for you?
MH: Considering how many new comers there are and the competition it huge! I have been wrestling longer than some of those girls have been alive! So to actually be active and still considered for the magazine is very flattering and humbling.

To read more of Jerry Wiseman’s interviews, news, and thoughts on the sport of pro wrestling, check out all of his articles at Examiner.com.